Fast and FURious Bears: BBW Bear Shifter BWWM Werebear Paranormal Romance (Wild Alpha Shifters Book 4) (8 page)

He still had to tell Brandon, of course. And Jeremy and Peter. They’d smooth it over with their father. Not that it needed smoothing over, but Greg didn’t like leaving them in the lurch. Still, Greg had a no-questions-asked policy with Brandon. If something was serious enough, there were no questions asked. And this qualified. Maybe later, when things had calmed down, he could explain himself. But for now, he just needed to get out. He’d have to duct tape the mirror back on his car, of course. His ride had gotten pretty banged up during the race.

What upset Greg, more than leaving his friends and his home, was leaving Amanda. His bear bristled at the indignation. He had finally found her, the woman who was his true mate, and here he was leaving town. But it needed to be done. His beast was wild. He had come very close to killing Tom last night, and whether he wanted to or not, the situation hadn’t warranted it. There was no imminent threat. No, letting his bear make the decisions would be bad for the both of them. What Greg needed now was time. Time away. Time to plan what came next.

As he walked through town, however, his mind kept circling back to Amanda. Her sparkling eyes, the laughs they had shared together. Her trust in him had been shaken. He had seen it in her stare. He wished she hadn’t seen his bear attack Tom. But he knew Amanda well, and he knew that she would be fine without him. Better than fine. Still, as he passed by Romeo’s, he felt a stab of longing. It didn’t matter. He was doing the right thing. But he couldn’t escape the feeling that he should at least tell her why.

**********************

Amanda diced onions. She didn’t understand Greg. Not even a little bit. She wasn’t kidding about his bear. The bear thing didn’t scare her. Maybe if she hadn’t known Jada and her experience with Brandon, it might have, but not now, even if the whole thing was a bit freaky. Greg was worried about something, though. That much was obvious. And it was something big.

Amanda continued to slice and dice. She had way more onions than she’d ever need at this point, but she didn’t care. She kept chopping even though she had started to cry. And it wasn’t just the onions that had done it to her. It was everything. Tom. Greg. The race. The fight. Now this. It was too much. Only the chopping offered her any salvation. She had no idea what she’d do with all of the onions. Maybe make one hell of a French onion soup. She was chopping so hard that she didn’t notice the door of her apartment open behind her.

“Hello, Amanda.”

Amanda recognized the voice. She turned. “Tom, how did you get in?”

“I borrowed your spare key the night I stayed here.”

“I didn’t lend you my key.”

Tom kicked the door closed behind him.

“Sorry. I guess I meant to say I took it.”

Amanda felt a chill run up her spine. Was this really happening? Tom didn’t look like he was paying a social call. He looked angry and it scared her. What was he doing here?

“Tom,” Amanda said. “I want you to leave right now.”

Tom laughed. “The way I see it, you and I have some unfinished business.”

He stepped toward her.

“And what business is that?”

“Our date.”

“You didn’t show up.”

“I’m here now.”

“Get out,” Amanda said coldly, raising her chopping knife.

“Why? You going to cut me?”

“That’s right,” Amanda said with more confidence than she felt. “Get out or I’ll cut your tiny dick off.”

“Yeah, about that,” Tom said with a sardonic smile. “Don’t talk about my dick. Especially in front of other people.”

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll have to show it to you again.”

Tom strode up to her.

“Stay back,” Amanda warned, her voice cracking.

And Tom rushed in. Amanda came down with the knife. Hard. She wasn’t about to let this man touch her. Except Tom was fast. She aimed down for his chest, but he turned to the side. The big knife stabbed his arm.

“Ouch!”

The knife was stuck there, blood oozing out. He pulled it out of his biceps with a grimace. “That wasn’t nice.”

Tom tossed the blade across the room.

“Tom, whatever you think about me disrespecting you, the best thing you can do now is go.”

“Is that so?”

Amanda knew she was almost out of options. She had to get out of there. She had to run. But Tom stood in the kitchen, blocking her escape. He had backed her into a corner. What could she do? Be nice. Maybe that was the best way. Maybe he’d take mercy on her. Screw that. This monster wasn’t going to take mercy on anyone.

Come on, just a little closer,
Amanda thought.

Tom advanced.

And Amanda kicked him square in the balls.

“Ohh…” Tom groaned.

Tom bent over and Amanda rushed past. But before she could get by, she felt his hand in her hair. Tom pulled back, and in the next instant, he had an arm around her neck, strangling her. Was this it? Was this the end of her bad day? Of her life?

“Let her go,” a voice growled.

Amanda gasped for breath as she turned her eyes to the front door. Greg stood in the doorway, immovable, his broad body blocking out the sunlight.

“Or else?” Tom said.

“There is no
or else
.”

And Greg shifted into his bear. Ferocious and untamed, he leaped forward, charging them. Amanda saw nothing but fur and teeth. It was scary. Even though Amanda knew it was Greg, the bear was almost more frightening than the man who was holding her. But instead of bowling them both over, Greg’s bear leaped over the countertop.

Greg was behind them now. Amanda turned. She saw a paw swipe. And then she felt a prickly sensation on her neck. She looked down to see Tom’s arm growing fur. A second later it was no longer a human arm. It was the forearm of a bear and it released her as it swiped backward.

Amanda ran for the door, but when she got there, she turned to see that Tom had shifted as well. Tom’s smaller bear leaped over the counter and into the living room, Greg’s bear charging after it. Already Tom’s bear was cornered and bleeding. Amanda knew she should run, but she was frozen in place. Tom’s bear stood up on its hind legs in front of the picture window. Greg’s bear roared, charging ahead in a full-body tackle. Glass smashed, and the next thing Amanda knew, both bears had tumbled out the window. After that, Amanda heard only roars and yelps, but she saw no more.

Chapter Eight

Amanda went to Jada’s house that night. She was too afraid to stay at her own place, too afraid of what might happen if Tom returned. She didn’t see Greg at work the next day, but she knew that he was safe, because he had called Brandon later that morning to let him know that he was all right. It upset her greatly that Greg hadn’t been in contact with her. She had tried calling him several times. Why hadn’t he picked up?

As far as Tom went, she wasn’t sure what had happened to him. She needed to talk to Greg to find out, but she realized that he needed to be ready to talk. They had things to work out between them, big things, but he would have to come to that conclusion on his own. Amanda went by her place after work to pick up some things. When she got there, the repairmen were still at work replacing her window. Amanda had no intention of staying by herself in her apartment that night, but she was hungry, so she changed into some comfortable clothes, and strolled down the street to Romeo’s. A small pizza would do her nicely, thank you very much. Romeo’s had a takeout window next to the sit-down restaurant and she ordered her pizza there. “Small triple cheese, veggies, and ham. Olives but no anchovies, please.”

“You have a problem with tiny fish?” a familiar voice said.

Amanda turned. It was Greg. He had gotten in line behind her.

“You weren’t at work,” Amanda said.

“I know.”

“So what are you doing here?”

“I’m hungry.”

“They don’t have food closer to your place?”

“I think maybe I was hoping I’d run into you.”

Amanda sighed. “Well, you ran into me. What’s next?”

“How about we change that order to a large?”

Greg carried the pizza as they strode along the riverfront promenade. The fall rains hadn’t yet come and the river’s water level was low, sunlight glimmering off the dark water.

“I’m sorry about what happened,” Greg said.

“I would have liked you to have told me that last night.”

“I know. But it wasn’t safe. I could smell Tom’s bear, but I couldn’t see him. I stayed in the forest so that I would know if he tried to double back into town.”

“So you stayed in the forest all night?”

“Yeah. I wanted to make sure he didn’t come back and it gave me time to think.”

“About what?”

“Tom Cooper. If it wasn’t for me, he never would have set foot in Wild Summit. I’ve been trying to figure out how to explain it all to you.”

Amanda stopped in front of a park bench. “The truth usually works,” Amanda said.

“You sure you don’t want a slice first?” Greg said.

“What I want is to hear your story.”

“OK,” Greg said. They sat on the bench. “You know I’ve worked at Wild Alpha Auto for a long time, right?”

“Since you got out of high school.”

“Right. Well, what I didn’t tell you was there were some gaps in my résumé.”

“Gaps?”

“I’m a car guy. I used to go to the city. I’d race. That’s where I met Tom.”

“I gathered you knew him.”

“Yeah. That’s why he was up here. Because we were in a race. A race I won and he lost, and he wanted a rematch.”

“And why didn’t you give him one before now?”

“I hadn’t seen Tom since. But more importantly, I swore never to race again.”

“Why?”

“There was a woman.”

Amanda felt her heart sink. Did she really want to hear this? She realized at that moment how deeply she felt for Greg. How much she wanted to be that.
His
woman.

“Are you sure you want to hear?”

Amanda steeled her resolve. “Yes.”

“I was dating her. Then I found out Tom was dating her, too.”

Amanda cringed. Not the greatest situation.

“I confronted him, and Tom thought the answer to our dilemma was simple. He proposed a race. Winner take all.”

“You mean the girl.”

“Yes. Before you start in on me, I realize now that’s stupid. You can’t win or lose people like that. But we were young and dumb.”

“So what happened?” Amanda asked.

“I won the race.”

“So you got the girl?”

“No. There was an accident,” Greg said.

Amanda placed her hand gently on Greg’s. She could tell that just recounting what had happened was painful to him.

“It hadn’t rained for a long time, but it poured just before the race, so the road was slick. Tom ran a good race. We were on the final stretch, both of us hammering the final thousand yards home for the finish line. Then I saw something I wasn’t expecting. The headlights illuminating the finish line started to pull out. That was strange, because the race wasn’t over. But soon I saw why. Flashing red and blue lights. The police had arrived.”

“I take it that wasn’t good?”

“Not in the middle of a street race.”

“So what did you do?”

“I’ll tell you what I should have done. I should have slowed and stopped the race immediately. But I didn’t. Tom was right beside me. I knew I could still win. Cops or no cops, I was going to take it to the finish line. I could deal with the ticket. At least I’d be the winner. What I didn’t see was the girl. She’d seen the cops and driven up the side street to warn us. Like I said, the road was slick and she was driving fast. She must have tried to stop but couldn’t.”

“Oh my gosh.”

“She came out of nowhere. I managed to swerve and avoid her, but Tom didn’t. He hit her car. She died on impact.” Greg was silent for a long moment. “Tom fled the scene on foot, but I didn’t. I stayed. There was no way I was going to leave. I needed to get her out of that car. But there was nothing I could do. She was dead long before the jaws of life could get to her.”

“What happened to Tom?”

“They caught up with him. The police arrested him.”

“And you?”

“I told the police everything. If I had just stopped the race when I had seen those lights, she might have been OK. I wanted to be punished. I wanted to pay for my part in it. But my lawyer made some kind of plea about my excellent character and the fact that I hadn’t fled the scene. I got a suspended sentence. I served it on the weekends while continuing to work here at Wild Alpha.”

“And Tom?”

“There was some kind of technicality. They couldn’t make a case against him.”

“Does my brother know any of this?”

“Not about Tom’s involvement in the accident.”

“Is that what he was holding over you, then? The fact that you were involved?”

“I didn’t want anybody to know that I was a part of what had happened. I may not have been the one who hit that girl, but it could just have as easily been me. I felt responsible. Ashamed. I still do. And Tom knew that. That’s how he convinced me to race. I was a fool. I should have let him say what he had to say from the moment he arrived. Instead, I let him manipulate me.”

“What about now?”

“Now Tom Cooper knows where I stand. I won’t let him hold the past over me. Not moving forward. If people find out what I did, then I guess they’ll find out. The bottom line is, he won’t be bothering either of us anymore.”

“Are you sure?”

Greg nodded. “He knows my bear will end him if he does.” He closed up the pizza box. “Come with me. I’ve got something to show you.”

**********************

Amanda was breathing hard as Greg led her up the trail. When Greg had said there was something he wanted to show her, she wasn’t expecting a hike.

“Just a little farther,” Greg said.

“You said that ten minutes ago.”

“I mean it this time. Just a few more steps.”

Amanda continued up the steep trail. Trees rustled on either side of them, and she heard a roaring wind. Greg finally stopped in front of her, but she couldn’t see anything. Just more trail.

“OK, close your eyes.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Greg stepped behind her, placing his hands over her eyes. Amanda was flushed and out of breath, but she thrilled at his touch just the same. She luxuriated in his strength, leaning back on him as she stood on the trail.