Unbearable: Russet Falls Series (7 page)

“Alright, “ Michael said, rising. “That’s enough for now.
You are all free to go. And I suppose we can spare the girl’s life,” he said.
“That was a rash decision on my part.” He looked at Zane. “Take her home please
and then come back. We have more to discuss.”

Zane nodded, obeying Michael. He ignored Grayson’s dirty look
and made his way down the hall to where Gabby was being kept.

“What the hell?” Gabby exploded, jumping up when Zane
unlocked the door. “Who the hell do you think you are? You can’t just lock me
up in here!”

She ran past Zane, agilely dodging him as she rushed into
the hallway. The open space, windows, and sunlight filled her with calm; she
doubled over with relief, taking long, deep breaths.

She felt sobs build inside her chest, and she tried to push
them down. She couldn’t cry now. Not in front of that arrogant asshole.

“Are—are you okay?” Zane asked awkwardly.

“I’m claustrophobic!” she cried, unable to keep her emotions
in check. She bolted towards the front door, desperate for the fresh air.

Zane ran after her. “Shit. I’m really sorry,” he faltered,
“I had no idea.”

“Of course you had no idea! You locked me up in a fucking
room.”

“Look, I did what I had to do to protect you! We had bears
all over the grounds.”

Gabby looked warily at him. “So, there really were wild
bears?”

“Of course. That’s what those alarms are for.”

Gabby wanted to say more, but she was just so damn tired. “I
want to go home,” she said in a small voice.

Zane looked like he was going to say something at first, but
then thought better of it. “My car is around the corner.”

Gabby followed Zane, feeling the soreness in her muscles
from the exertion of running from the bear. What a crazy, screwed up day.

Zane approached a clearly labeled state park car and opened
the passenger side for Gabby.

“Thank you,” she murmured, sliding into the front seat. She
watched as Zane walked over to the driver’s side in two long strides. There was
no denying that his body was powerful and muscular.

He climbed in next to her, and she noticed that he had a
small bead of sweat along his brow.

“So, what exactly did you do? I mean, how did you take care
of the wild bear situation?” She was curious.

He frowned at her, and his eyes seemed to be searching for
something. Then she watched him shut her out. “Just followed protocol.” He said
nothing else, his mouth set in a firm line.

Gabby was too tired to push for more information, and she
had a feeling that Zane wouldn’t tell her anyway.

They were about to pull out of the parking spot when Zane
quickly reached across her, his hand grazing against her breasts.

She gasped in shock, and partially because she was horrified
by how good it felt.

“What the hell?” she yelled, and then froze when Zane
clicked her seatbelt in. “Oh.” It had been an accident, she thought.

He stared hard at her, his eyes smoldering. “Need to keep
you safe,” he said in a low voice that had her squirming in her seat.

Holy hell. How did things go from cordial to downright hot
in a matter of seconds? She literally felt like she was panting, and suddenly
the close quarters of the car had her desperate for a drink of water to cool
herself off.

“Thanks,” she managed to say, but Zane was still looking at
her, slowly licking his lip.

“You’re welcome.”

Gabby noticed his chest was moving up and down, and
strangely it seemed that his eyes looked darker than they had before.

She shook her head, and finally looked away. “I must be
tired,” she muttered. Her hormones were out of whack, and she didn’t know if
she wanted to slap Zane or make out with him.

“Why?” he asked, his voice sharp.

“I—I’m imagining things.” She peeked back over at him, and
he was still staring at her. It was unnerving.

He finally pulled his eyes from her. “Where are you parked?”
he asked flatly.

What the hell was with the mood swings?

“About a mile to the right. There’s a dirt path—’’

“I know it,” he cut her off. “You don’t happen to have any
idea as to why there were so many bears out today, do you?” He glanced sideways
at her.

Gabby let out a laugh and then saw he was serious. “Wow,
you’re serious. What? Do you think I’m some kind of bear expert? Like I was
feeding the bears or something?”

“Forget it,” he snapped.

“I have no idea. I’m terrified of bears. So whatever the
reason they were here I really hope they stay the hell away, because I don’t
know if I’ll ever have the nerve to go back to the park.”

“Terrified, huh?”

“Yes.” She didn’t want to elaborate, but she had been a
little too passionate.

“Ever had a run-in with bears before?”

She sighed. “It’s a long story. My father hated bears, and I
feel like he instilled that fear in me.” She trailed off. She didn’t want to
get into her whole sob story. “Let’s just say that it’s had a lasting effect.”

Zane nodded. “It’s good to fear bears. You
should
fear them.” He pulled alongside her beat-up truck. “And stay on the damn trails
next time you’re in the park.”

“Thanks for the ride,” she said, climbing out of the car.
“And, you know, for locking me up this afternoon.”

Zane rolled his eyes. “And for saving you from being eaten
alive.”

“Okay. Maybe that too.” She went over to her truck and of
course, of all times, the door was jammed. “Shit,” she muttered, pulling on the
door.

“Do you need help?” Zane called.

“No! I’m fine.”

She yanked again, so frustrated with the terrible day she
was having.

“Here, let me help you,” Zane said, jumping out of the car.
He walked over and pulled open the truck door with ease. “There.”

Gabby looked up at him to say thank you, but the next thing
she knew, Zane was pushing her up against the frame of the door, kissing her
full on the lips.

She froze in shock, going completely rigid, and then tried
to resist him and push him off, but he was far too strong. In fact, his body
felt as solid as concrete.

And why was she resisting anyway? It felt
so
damn
good.

She kissed him back eagerly, standing on her tiptoes to
reach his mouth, and he groaned as he pressed harder against her soft body, his
hands encircling her ass and squeezing tightly.

“Oh!” she gasped, wrapping herself around him as his tongue
slid into her mouth.

And then, as quickly as it happened, the moment ended, and
Zane pulled away, his eyes dark and angry.

“I’m sorry,” he gasped, “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

He seemed to almost shudder.

“No. It’s fine,” she said, trying not to show her hurt. “I
don’t know what I was thinking, either.” She hopped into her truck, slamming
the door angrily.

Before Zane could say another word, she peeled off the dirt
road, blowing dust and gravel out behind her wheels. She looked back with smug
satisfaction when she saw the dust cloud hit Zane square on, and she clearly
heard him yell, “What the fuck?”

Gabby barely remembered driving home, and before she knew it
she was parked outside her apartment complex. Grabbing her bag, she dragged
herself up the stairs to her third floor apartment, and she nearly cried with
relief as she entered her home.

She peeled off her clothes and jumped in the shower, letting
the warm water run over her skin as she tried to wash the day away. It felt
like a lifetime ago that she had been at work. So much had happened in the interim.

She toweled off and dressed in sweats. All she wanted to do
was eat some dinner and go to bed. Tomorrow she could deal with work, Lucy, and
the fact that she had been chased by a ten-foot-tall-bear.

Gabby realized that not only did she need to go grocery
shopping for her mother and Lucy, but she also needed to shop for herself. She
had hardly any food in her house. She settled for a can of soup and curled up
on her couch. She noticed an old photo album sticking out of the bottom of her
small entertainment center, and she went over and brought it back to the couch.

When she had moved out of her mother’s house she took a
handful of things that had belonged to her father. This album contained
pictures of her father and his family, and other than paging through it once or
twice, Gabby realized that she had never really looked at it.

For some reason, after her near-death encounter she felt
closer to her father. He had already been on her mind while she had handled
Lucy, and now she felt his presence even more. She could have met the same fate
as her father if Zane hadn’t rescued her.

She balanced her bowl of soup on her knee and opened the
photo album on her lap. She only had one memory of her father’s family and that
was from when she was five year’s old and they had traveled to northern
Washington state for a family reunion. Most of her father’s family lived in
Washington, though she knew there were still some cousins and extended family
in Oregon. Gabby’s mother had lost touch with all of her father’s relatives
after he died.

The first picture Gabby saw was one of her paternal
grandparents. She knew that her grandfather had died before her parents were
married, and her grandmother died just after Gabby had been born. Her
grandparents looked young in the picture, and for the first time she really
noticed how her grandmother had darker skin.

Gabby held the picture close to her nose and squinted. Her
grandmother looked almost Native American. She rifled through the pages, sadly
realizing that she could hardly identify anyone. A few of the pictures were
labeled, but many were not. One of the pages was peeling apart, and the plastic
covering had come undone. A photo of her grandparents fell out, and when she
went to stick it back inside she noticed a few other photographs had been
shoved behind it. These photos were in black and white, and Gabby handled them
carefully.

There was a black and white picture of her grandparents on
their wedding day, but there was also picture of a very serious man and woman,
and a small girl. Gabby turned it over, and to her shock the picture was
labeled. The year was 1932, and it was her grandmother photographed with her
parents—Gabby’s great-grandparents. And sure enough, her great grandmother
looked somewhat Native American too.

Gabby was amazed to discover that the last hidden picture
was her great grandmother and her parents! The photo had to have been taken in
the early 1900’s, and without a doubt both of her great-great-grandparents were
Native American. How had she not known this?

The man, who she assumed was her great-great grandfather,
had long, black braids, with a feather in some type of headband. The woman, who
must have been her great-great-grandmother, also had similar braids. They
seemed dressed in ceremonial Native American clothing, and they looked
extremely uncomfortable and out of place. Her great-grandmother was dressed in
regular clothing, a frilly dress, and she smiled happily for the photo. The
only telling characteristic was her long, dark braids.

Gabby set the photo album down, her soup long forgotten. How
had she not known that there was Native American blood in her family? And then
tears sprang to her eyes because her father wasn’t here to ask, and she knew
that asking her mother was a crapshoot.

Angrily, she slammed the photo album down and jumped off the
couch, choking back a sob. How could she not know this important part of her
family history, and how could she not have anyone to talk to? Not that it made
a difference, but it would be nice to understand her heritage. If only her
father were still around.

As much as it pained her to do so, she decided that tomorrow
she would ask her mother. She might not get any answers, but it was better than
nothing.

Resolving to put these questions out of her mind for the night,
she went to bed, exhausted and spent, praying for a better day.

Gabby woke up to her alarm blaring and she groaned, rolling
over.  Being at work by six in the morning really sucked some days. She dragged
herself out of bed, washing her face and brushing her teeth in a daze. She
dressed in black pants, an emerald blouse, and a black sweater. Since she had
hit the snooze button so many times, she didn’t have the chance to style her
hair, and she simply braided it down her back. Perhaps her relatives were on
her mind—her braid mimicked those she had seen in the old photographs.

Grabbing a granola bar, she headed out the door. Her commute
was only a few minutes, and she was relieved to get to work and fall into the
easy rhythm of her job. Usually the first few hours of the morning were slow,
especially if guests slept in.

Before Gabby knew it, Paul had arrived, and she could get
ready to take her lunch break. Her break, along with the remainder of the day,
flew by, and yet she felt like a zombie walking through the day.

Without realizing it, she found herself standing in the
middle of the grocery store, holding a can of peas in her hands. How did she
even get here? Shaking her head, she mentally told herself to get a grip. She
needed to buy groceries for her mom and sister, and she needed some for
herself. Set with determination, she wove her way through the grocery store,
shopping as quickly and efficiently as she could.

She loaded her car up with the groceries and drove straight
to her mother’s house. It was after three, which meant that Lucy should be home
from school. Sure enough, Lucy came out to greet her and helped carry in the
groceries.

“Hope you had a better day at school today,” Gabby said,
handing Lucy a few bags.

Lucy made a face. “Yes, it was better, if you mean that I
didn’t get in trouble. But it sure as hell wasn’t as exciting.”

Gabby rolled her eyes. “Just keep your head down, and get
through it. That’s all you have to do.” She didn’t want to press her luck, but
she continued. “Did you happen to look into any classes for next year?”

Lucy smiled, setting down her bags. “As a matter of fact, I
did. I think I’m going to sign up for some basic courses. You know, a Math one,
and English. I need a writing class too.”

“That’s great, Luce! Really! I’m so happy.”

They brought in the rest of the groceries and Gabby started
to help Lucy put them away.

“Is everything okay?” Lucy asked. “You seem a little out of
it.”

Gabby hadn’t wanted to tell Lucy what had happened. In fact,
she wanted to forget about it completely.

“Is it that obvious?”

Lucy shrugged. “No. You just seem a little off.”

“I was chased by a bear yesterday.”

“What?”

Gabby turned around in surprise at her mother’s voice. Her
mother was standing in the doorway, looking more sober than normal. Her eyes
were wide and frightened. “What did you say?” her mother asked.

Crap. This was the last thing Gabby wanted.

“I was chased by a bear in the state park yesterday. But I’m
fine. One of the rangers rescued me.”

“Oh my God, Gabby! In the state park!” Lucy exclaimed, and
Gabby knew they were all thinking about her father’s horrible death.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Gabby said quickly. “Let it
go. Please. I’m fine. And honestly, I want to do nothing more than forget that
it ever happened.”

Her mother looked like she wanted to say more, but Gabby
seized the opportunity of her mother seeming more together than she had in
weeks.

“Mom, I need to ask you something.”

Her mother looked like she was still trying to wrap her head
around the fact that a bear had nearly attacked Gabby. Gabby herded her mother
into the living room.

The room was filthy and Gabby wanted to gag. “I need to ask
you something about Dad.”

Her mother sank down on the couch and reached for a bottle
of vodka on the coffee table.

“Wait,” Gabby ordered.

Her mother gave her a dirty look, but put the bottle down.

“Was Dad’s family Native American? I found some pictures and
it looked like Dad’s mother was part Native American, and then I saw pictures
of his grandmother and great-grandmother, and she and her family definitely
looked Native American.”

Her mother narrowed her eyes. “Where were these pictures?”

Gabby blinked. “In a photo album that I have. It’s all of
dad’s family.”

Her mother’s mouth set in a hard line. “Your father didn’t
like to talk about it, but yes, he had Native blood.” She looked so angry.

“Is there something wrong with that?” Gabby asked slowly. “I
just never realized that we had that heritage.”

Her mother scoffed. “You have hardly any of that blood in
you. Your father was barely a quarter Native American, and he never spoke of
it. He was ashamed.” Now her mother’s eyes were wild, and Gabby wondered if she
had been drinking that morning after all.

“Ashamed?” Gabby asked dumbly.

“Your father wanted nothing to do with dirty Indians!”

“Dirty Indians?” Gabby asked incredulously. “Are you
serious?”

“Of course I’m serious. And you’d be smart not to go poking
your nose around.”

“But—but I don’t understand,” Gabby argued.

“Let it go, Gabby. I’ve told you what I know. All I know is
that it was a part of your father’s past that he hated. He never spoke of it.
Yes, you have a bit of that blood in you. It doesn’t mean anything and it was a
part of your father that he wasn’t proud of.” She folded her arms across her
chest. “That’s all I know.”

Gabby nodded, standing up. It was more information than she
had expected, so she had no right to be angry with her mother. “Thank you,” she
said stiffly.

“Yeah, well, thanks for the food,” her mother said, standing
up and staring at the floor.

“Right.”

Gabby went in the kitchen just as Lucy was putting away the
last of the groceries.

“I’m heading out, Luce. I’ll see you later.”

 “Thanks for going shopping,” she whispered.

Gabby nodded. “Yep. Stay out of trouble tomorrow, got it?”
Tomorrow was Friday, and it would give Gabby peace of mind to know that Lucy
could make it to the weekend.

Lucy rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

Gabby headed out the door, glad to be leaving her mother’s
house, but still not feeling satisfied by the information her mother had given
her.